


Company Man

by justlikethehamptons



Category: The Cabin in the Woods (2011), The Shadow Over Innsmouth -- H.P. Lovecraft
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-29
Updated: 2014-09-29
Packaged: 2018-02-19 04:37:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 841
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2374844
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justlikethehamptons/pseuds/justlikethehamptons
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Just how <i>did</i> that kid end up running the Innsmouth grocery store, anyway?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Company Man

**Author's Note:**

  * For [APgeeksout](https://archiveofourown.org/users/APgeeksout/gifts).



The presence of Management in Innsmouth happened gradually, then all at once.

It began with Obed Marsh, with his greed and his intermarrying and his strange, unearthly descendants. Marsh was discreet, at least with outsiders, a quality Management appreciated, but once the stones and the strangely carved gold began creeping out of Innsmouth along with the rumors, there was no choice but to step in.

The trouble wasn't greed or intermarrying or even the normal offspring hidden away at a boarding school in France. The trouble was that the creatures beneath the sea began to get more and more restless, creeping closer to the outer world and threatening to end humanity once and for all.

They weren't the only ones, of course. Management the world over had been keeping the Ancient Ones in check since the dawn of time, or at the very least since the dawn of recorded history. There were the Greek heroes vanquishing the Laestrygonians, then the Jews with the Dubbyk, not to mention all manner of dark creatures running amok in eastern Europe. Comparatively speaking, a few Shoggoths weren't much of a problem, but when the great and terrible Cthulhu threatened to rise, something had to be done.

Twice-yearly sacrifices were simple enough to arrange; Obed Marsh and his disciples had managed for years, after all, and the local priests seemed happy enough to carry on at Management's behest. But there was still the problem of random passersby, the occasional tourists who wandered into town, either looking for work or drawn by the rumors told in the neighboring villages.

The solution, naturally, was to place someone in town to intervene with visitors, give them just enough information without telling them too much and rendering them even more curious than they started. There was some debate among Management as to whether or not the person placed in this role should know the whole truth; there were other company men already in place about the area, after all, and it would have been simple enough to transfer one of them to Innsmouth on a permanent basis. 

In the end it was decided that there was too much risk in placing someone who knew _too_ much, however, and running the risk of arousing the suspicions of the townsfolk. Managements's goal was to remain unnoticed, after all, and the less their local agent knew about his true assignment, the more effective he was likely to be.

Which was how the Director came to be sitting in the dingy back room of a grocery store, checking his pocket watch as the door opened and a boy of no more than seventeen stepped inside.

"Sir? The manager said wanted to see me?"

"Come in, my boy, and have a seat," the Director said, smiling at the boy. He was young, certainly, but the grocery manager had assured the Director that he was hardworking and industrious, and that he wasn't the type to ask too many questions. "I suppose Mr. Nichols told you why I've called you here."

"No, sir," the boy answered. "He says you're the regional manager, sir. Have I done something wrong?"

"Not at all, not at all," the Director said. "Truth is, we find ourselves with an opening in the Innsmouth store, and your name came up as an excellent candidate to manage the place."

"Me, sir?"

"Yes, son," the Director said, giving the boy his most fatherly smile. "We feel you're just the man for the job."

That was all there was to it. It was simple enough, once the boy agreed to the transfer, to put him up with a local family. It was clear the boy wasn't thrilled with the idea; he grew up in the area, after all, and he'd heard all the stories. But Management felt that was good, that it meant he'd be cautious and reluctant to mix much with the locals. So he managed the grocery store in town, answered the questions of any outsiders who happened by, and steered them away from anyone who might say too much. He was a natural, as it turned out, and there was no one better to explain away Zadok Allen's alcohol-fused ramblings.

It all worked out well enough, until old Marsh's great-grandson turned up. Once the creatures rose out of the sea to reclaim their own, they never really settled down again, and once that happened, Management had no choice but to act. They pulled as many of their own people out as they could, but the boy...well, there just wasn't enough time to arrange another transfer, and pulling him out with the rest of their people would have meant letting him in on the terrible secret of Innsmouth. 

His death was not in vain, however. He was remembered for his sacrifice, and years later, other Harbingers would look to the simple grocery store employee as their first, best example. Small comfort for his family, of course, but history would remember him, and that was as much as any of them could ask for.


End file.
